Enter Teddy "Two Gun" Reid from Adelphia, Maryland against Elio "El Chingo" Ortiz, from Coro, Venezuela, with a 25-4, 19 KOs record. At stake, Reid's NABF Welterweight bauble, a title he earned in June of 2002 by stopping Germaine Sanders in 3 rounds.

The two guns must have been cocked and ready because Reid put Ortiz on the mat not once but twice in the first round, both times scoring with ill intended right hands.

Ortiz visits the mat again in the second round, victim of another vicious right hand. In a well orchestrated effort to survive, Ortiz "drops" his mouthpiece and gets a much needed reprieve. He comes back to let Reid know that the fight is not over, rocking Teddy enough to get his attention.

Reid opens the next round with a great display of speed, throwing a six punch combination that worked Ortiz from top to bottom. "El Chingo" gets wobbled again, and once again, he does the ol' mouthpiece trick. When the action resumes, Reid decides to send in the clowns, and almost gets put on the seat of his trunks by a wounded but not dead yet Ortiz.

Round four was a see saw battle, and once again Ortiz tries the mouthpiece solution, except this time the referee doesn't even see the trick. Ortiz goes down from a flurry of punches, beats the count only to get swarmed again and finally, and mercifully, the fight is stopped.

In spite of his convincing win, Reid is booed solidly by the fans who perhaps didn't appreciate his show boating.

Are you out of breath yet? Because the best is yet to come, and what many had anticipated would be a short fight is destined to become... but wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of the classy Jimmy Lennon, Jr., who like his father, Jimmy Lennon, Sr. always performs effortlessly and in a most efficient manner. He is a pleasure to watch and listen to.

Jorge "La Hiena" Barrios enters the ring, attired in a colorful outfit, sporting red sunglasses to boot. The Argentine contingent goes wild, they love their man and they are letting him know it. Seconds later, the Brazilian fans one up their counterparts, as they express their glee at seeing Acelino "Popo" Freitas enter the ring.

The trash talk has been well documented, and now it's time to put up or shut up, and these two seem ready. Opening round establishes respect from both men, with Freitas displaying lots of speed and movement, and Barrios swinging a bit wildly. The best punch of the round is a Freitas right hand uppercut that stuns the Argentine in the final seconds of the round.

Round two has Barrios scoring a good left against Freitas as he laid on the ropes. Barrios is a bit wild, but still manages to score here. There are good exchanges in rounds three and four, and Barrios suffers a cut over his left eye brow, the blood is flowing freely, will it be a factor in the fight?

In the third round Freitas slips in his own corner and goes through the bottom rope. The advertisement that has been placed on the ring apron, as well as the center decal, continue to prove ever so dangerous to the fighters.

Acelino wants to test the coagulant over Barrios' eye and he pounds him there. Two cuts open up, Barrios fights back, catches Freitas only to get tagged again, and the round ends with "La Hiena" bleeding from his nose as well as his eyes.

"Popo" comes out jabbing in the fifth, both seem to be taking the round off, and then a fight breaks out in the Brazilian's corner; after a heated exchange Barrios is admonished by referee Jorge Alonso about head butting.

Freitas attempts to fight on the retreat, but Barrios forces the action, center ring, his left eye bleeding profusely, with a cut over the lid and another over the brow. The crowd expresses some displeasure at the lack of action in this assault.

At the end of the sixth round, ringside physician Dr. Simpson is called to Barrios' corner, who is now bleeding from his right ear, an ear drum injury is suggested. However, the doctor gives his okay and the fight continues.

With blood streaming down his face, Barrios shows tremendous heart, as he swarms Freitas, hoping to impress the judges enough to win the round. Round eight sees Freitas score with a huge right hand to Barrio's head; no deterrent for the Argentinean who goes all out and manages to send Freitas to the canvas, victim of a short and sweet left hook. Acelino survives the count, only to get swarmed again by Barrios, who is trying to end it here. Guess what? This is a REAL fight!

With blood flowing down his eye and cheek, Barrios continues to press the action, throwing that hammer like right hand a la Mayorga, but Freitas manages to stay out of harm's way and this was a pretty even round.

The championship rounds begin with Freitas scoring a solid right hand to Barrios' head; "Popo" also exhibits good defensive skills against a very awkward -and game- opponent. Barrios has his moments in this round, as well, scoring a good combination and doing the unthinkable. As referee Alonso breaks a clinch, Barrios grabs the ref's sleeve and wipes the blood that has been running down his face for seven rounds now. Ever the professional, Alonso seems taken back, but continues to mediate this relentless war.

The ringside physician is summoned again to look at Barrios' eye; all good says the doctor and we go to the eleventh round. Barrios catches Freitas with an awesome combination that sees Freitas visit the mat again. With the heart of a champion Freitas retaliates and just as the round is about to end, he returns to favor, putting Barrios on his butt. In what has to be a classic round, Barrios beats the count, legs weary and rubbery, blood streaming down his face, mouth wide open, struggling, but making it to his corner hoping to collect himself for the last round.

The twelfth round opens up with a fall by Barrios, it's called a slip, however, when Barrios stands up, his legs are gone from underneath him, and referee Alonso has seen enough. He stops the action, and Barrios collapses against the ropes. It took 50 seconds of this round for the coffin to get sealed.

Arturo and Micky, step aside, Acelino Freitas and Jorge Barrios have taken a page from your book and made this a very memorable fight. Most of us knew little about Barrios, other than his trash talk and the obvious disrespect he showed Freitas throughout fight week. By the end of this fight, it was apparent that Jorge Barrios is small in stature, but huge in courage and valor. Fighting with an injured eardrum and bleeding profusely for over 25 minutes, this brave warrior never let up, never stopped coming. Camacho Jr. are you listening?

As for Freitas, well, what can one say? I have always felt that he was the real deal, and he hasn't disappointed. A true champion beats the odds and finds a way to win; Freitas did that tonight, against a very 'Mayorguian' opponent. Looking none the worst for wear, Acelino "Popo" Freitas successfully defends his WBO title for the eleventh time, and his WBA bauble for the fourth time. Very good job by arbiter Jorge Alonso, who was seen leaving the arena shirtless but proud to have refereed such an impressive battle.

Closing the show, Cuban middleweight Oriol Martinez took on Miami Beach policeman Luis Corps in a four rounder. Martinez scored a hard fought unanimous decision. He improves to 2-2, while Corps drops to 1-1, 1 KO.

In closing, I would like to thank Minerva Martinez, Dan Clavadetscher and John Beyrooty's connections for assigning yours truly as an unofficial 'press row' judge. John Brister, who also worked P.R. for this show; it was a pleasure meeting you, John. Last but not least, to Mr. Pellulo and Mr. Tremblay... as a boxing fan, I am very grateful for this tremendous night of boxing; gentlemen please, let's do it again, real soon.